My House (Paperback)

by Nikki Giovanni (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Nikki Giovanni has, by her own words, joined that small band of talented people who try to show us all the way to go home." -- Los Angeles Times

Africa: 1
Africa: 2
And Another Thing
Atrocities
The Butterfly
Categories
A Certain Peace
Conversation
A Fishy Poem
I Laughed When I Wrote It (don't You Think It's Funny?)
I Remember Learning You Jump
Just A New York Poem
Legacies
Mixed Media
Mothers
My House
My Tower
Nn Seeing Black Journal And Watching Nine Negro Leaders
Nothing Makes Sense
One Ounce Of Truth Benefits
The Only Song I'm Singing
Poem
Poem
A Poem For Carol (may She Always Wear Red Ribbons)
Poem For Stacia
Rituals
Scrapbooks
Straight Talk
There Is A Hunger
They Clapped
We Stood There Waiting
When I Die I Hope No One Who Ever Hurt Me Cries
When I Nap
Winter Poem
The Wonder Woman (a New Dream - For Stevie Wonder)
The World Is Not A Pleasant Place
-- Table of Poems from Poem Finder®

Product Description

Enter the world of Nikki Giovanni.Writing of mothers and their children, of childhood memories, of black leaders and black Africa, the poems in My House marked a new dimension in tone and philosophy for Nikki Giovanni when they first appeared at the beginning of her extraordinary career. Emotional and autobiographical, Nikki Giovanni personalizes the political--like no one else--and brings her house in all its complexity and glory to our own backyards. At once tough-minded and playful and with such famous classics as "My House" and "Winter Poem," this reissue of Nikki Giovanni's 1972 collection will once again intoxicate those who have always loved her poems--and those who are just getting to know her work.

As a witness to three generations, Nikki Giovanni has perceptively and poetically recorded her observations of both the outside world and the gentle yet enigmatic territory of the self. When her poems first emerged from the Black Rights Movement in the late 1960s, she immediately became a celebrated and controversial poet of the era. Written in one of the most commanding voices to grace America's political and poetic landscape at the end of the twentieth century, Nikki Giovanni's poems embody the fearless passion and spirited wit for which she is beloved and revered.

Nikki Giovanni is one of the most influential black writers writing today. This, her second book of poetry, marked a new dimension in tone and philosophy-personal and autobiographical rather than political; it is also lively, loving, witty, and occasionally tough-minded. Divided into two sections, the poems center around "her" house-the rooms inside as well as outside. She writes of mothers and their children, of childhood memories, of black leaders and black Africa. This is an important book by a black woman written in and of the '70s.

"Nikki Giovanni has . . . become one of the most potent voices of our time. Her message is universal and the rhythm and language of her poetry can be compared favorably with that of the finest poets of the past. She is a beautiful and complete human being with a genius for describing the human condition." Minneapolis Tribune

"Talent is light, but mature talent is a beacon and Nikki Giovanni has, by her own words, joined that small band of talented people who try to show us all the way to go home." Los Angeles Times

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Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial (March 1, 1974)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688050212
• ISBN-13: 978-0688050214
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,071,845 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 'Cause it's MY HOUSE!, April 1, 2001

By	Gayle Jackson Sloan "Author" (Philadelphia, PA USA) - See all my reviews

That's right! And what I do in it is my business! Tell 'em girlfriend! LOL I loved this collection as well. So much so, I keep a volume next to my bed to browse through every now and again. She's got some real gems in here. A few of my all time favorties are My House, of course, but I also love Winter Poem, The World is Not A Pleasant Place to Be and The Butterfly. Enjoy!!

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good, but not like the other ones!, January 12, 2001

By	Jarrel (Roanoke, Va USA) - See all my reviews

Well I would like to start off saying that Nikki Giovanni writings are truthful and mostly from her heart and this book was good but not all as I expected from reading her other book Black Judgement,Black....But over all it was a book like no other that I read